Ethnicity and Crime

Question 1

What does Morris argue?

Answer 1

Morris argues that BAME groups in the UK have a disproportionate amount of young people which creates an illusion in statistics that minorities are committing more crime, but it is just generally that young people are committing more crime.

Question 2

What are the reasons for ethnic minority criminality?

Answer 2

1. Police Targeting
2. Locality theory.
3. Institutional racism.
4. Social and cultural theory
5. Subcultures

Question 3

What is police targeting?

Answer 3

Phillips and Browning: Ethnic minorities are over-policed and under-protected.

Gilroy: stereotyping has led to a myth of black criminality.

Question 4

What is the evaluation of police targeting?

Answer 4

1. • Police label Asians differently than they do Blacks.

Question 5

What is locality theory?

Answer 5

Waddington et al: certain areas have higher densities of minorities, explaining higher stop and searches.

Question 6

What is the evaluation of the locality theory?

Answer 6

1. • Other factors can cause more stops (e.g genuine suspicion of criminal behaviour)

Question 7

What is institutional racism?

Answer 7

Reiner: suspicion, macho values and racism encourage stereotypes and mistrust of the police.

Question 8

What is social and cultural theory?

Answer 8

(Neo-Marxist) - Hall: the media’s exaggeration of crimes create a moral panic.

Question 9

What is the evaluation of the social and cultural theory?

Answer 9

1. • Left realists argue the fear is realistic.

Question 10

What is the subcultures theory?

Answer 10

(Left Realism) - Lea and Young: marginalisation and relative deprivation due to high unemployment and racism